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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 120 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  2. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  3. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  4. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  5. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  6. Don't do anything ________________.
  7. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  8. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  9. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  10. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  11. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  12. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  13. My father caught me by the ________________.
  14. False peace will not ________________.
  15. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  16. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  17. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  18. That was ________________ to happen.
  19. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  20. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  21. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  22. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  23. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  24. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. snap — to click
  2. snap — to snap out of it
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. bound — tied together
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. rash — hasty
  7. snap — to speak sharply
  8. last — finally
  9. perch — the fish
  10. last — final
  11. firm — steady
  12. rash — on the skin
  13. arm — part of the body
  14. last — to go on
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. racket — a loud noise
  18. bound — certain
  19. firm — decided
  20. bound — obliged
  21. firm — a company
  22. arm — part of the body
  23. rash — a series
  24. arm — a part of something

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com